• US 130 or the Burlington Pike in Burlington County with 9 fatalities in pedestrian accidents between 2006 and 2008
• US 30 Atlantic County, US 1 Middlesex County, route 549 and US 9 in Ocean County and US 1 in Ocean County with 7 fatalities each
• US 322 in Atlantic County and US 9 in Middlesex County with 6 fatalities each
• Route 4 in Bergen County, McCarter highway SR 21 in Essex County, US 9 in Monmouth County, US 46 in Morris County, St Georges Avenue and SR28 in Essex County with 5 fatalities each
• Route 1 and route 9 seem to be the most dangerous for pedestrians.  Route 1 stretching across Middlesex County and Union County accounted for 14 fatalities in all between 2006 and 2008. Route 9 stretching across Ocean, Middlesex and Monmouth Counties saw 17 fatalities during the same period

The New Jersey Division of Highway Traffic Safety is pointing to a number of factors responsible for the high pedestrian fatalities on some of these roads.

• Lack of crosswalks for pedestrians
• Poor design and planning that doesn’t include pedestrian amenities, and contributes to unsafe walking and crossing practices
• Failure of motorists to yield to pedestrians in crosswalks
• Pedestrians walking under the influence of alcohol

The group hopes that the new administration will use the report to make decisions on pedestrian safety infrastructure.

Scott Grossman is a New Jersey pedestrian accident lawyer representing injured victims of pedestrian accidents in Monmouth, Bergen, Ocean, and Passaic Counties and in and around New Jersey.

According to the NJ Ledger, the three pedestrians were crossing the street at night, when they were struck by a car. Authorities say two of them were minors. The three pedestrians were rushed to the hospital, where one of the succumbed to his injuries. No arrests have been made as yet.

JacksonTownship Accident Fatalities on the Rise

Overall however, accident fatality statistics for Jackson Township present a grim picture. According to New Jersey State Police statistics (via Jackson NJ Online), Jackson Township ranked second among Ocean County municipalities in accident fatalities in 2009. There were four accident fatalities here in the first eight months of 2009. Jackson Township was just behind Brick Township which had 5 fatalities. It shared second spot on the list with Tom’s River, which also had four fatalities in accidents this year. Lacey and Stafford had three fatalities each, while Manchester, Lakewood and Point Pleasant had two fatalities each this year.

These are not the final statistics, and are subject to change until the cases are resolved. They are also much lower than the 2007 statistics. However, we still have several major holidays coming up in the remainder of 2009, including Thanksgiving Day and New Year's Eve when we can expect a spike in accidents.

Scott Grossman is a New Jersey pedestrian accident lawyer, representing injured victims in Ocean, Monmouth, Bergen and Passaic Counties, and across New Jersey.

Several communities in the state that have recorded an unacceptable increase in pedestrian accident deaths, are seeing enforcement activities to enforce the rules and prevent such accidents. Earlier this month, 17 police agencies in Atlantic, Burlington, Cape May, Camden, Cumberland and Gloucester Counties have received funding for the program that will run through September 13^th. The program involves plainclothes officers stationed at crosswalks looking for motorists who fail to yield. Motorists who disregard the rights of pedestrians at a crosswalk could face tickets from uniformed officers, who will be just a short distance away. A motorist could be fined $100 besides court costs.

It’s been difficult to understand what has caused the sudden spike in pedestrian fatalities. However, in New Jersey, we have unique challenges in keeping pedestrians safer. We have far too many people packed into a smaller geographical area, and there are too many cars and pedestrians jostling for limited space. There are also increasing numbers of New Jerseyans who are choosing to walk everywhere, rather than using their cars. As a Bergen County pedestrian accident lawyer, I firmly believe that walking on New Jersey streets should not have to be a death-defying stunt for our pedestrians. The fact is that a lot of these accidents can be prevented if motorists would just exercise some patience near a crosswalk.

Surveillance video released last week shows 51-year-old Ricardo Torres walking on a crosswalk, and being struck by a black Ford pickup truck. The truck then traveled right on, as Jersey City Mayor Jeremiah Healy put it "as if he ran over a rat or something". Torres had the right of way at the time of the crash. Now, Jersey City Police say they have arrested a suspect. Police have arrested 19-year-old Bayonne resident Anthony J. Pane, and have charged him with assault by vehicle, leaving the scene of the accident and endangering an injured victim.

Jersey City Police had earlier determined that the hit and run truck had been traveling at 35 to 40mph in a 25mph zone. Witnesses have claimed that the pickup truck had swerved either to dislodge the body or avoid running over him again before driving off.  According to police chief Thomas Comey, it was the third such hit and run accident involving pedestrians in Jersey City this year alone. In the two other cases, the pedestrians died. Torres continues to be in a critical condition and is in a medically induced coma, at a Jersey City hospital.

The accident had sparked impassioned pleas by police and city authorities to the public, asking for cooperation to nab the hit and run driver. As police chief Comey puts it, the victim here was "someone else's loved one, someone else's brother and someone else's father.

On this blog, I have discussed a number of recent New Jersey accidents involving pedestrians who had their right of way violated. To New Jersey personal injury lawyers, it appears that there is an unacceptable level of motorist impatience and callousness where the rights of these pedestrians are concerned. Jersey City police and city authorities have been rightfully outraged at the way pedestrians have been struck fatally or seriously this year, while the drivers have simply driven right on without even stopping to look at the results of their actions.

The problem is serious enough for the New Jersey Turnpike authority to launch an education campaign asking motorists to remain in their cars when they pull over. Both the turnpike and parkway are New Jersey's busiest highways, and approximately 2 million vehicles use these highways every day. The awareness campaign encourages drivers to stay in their cars, and not step out. It includes warning signs that have been posted on electronic message boards along the turnpike or the parkway. Over the next few weeks, authorities plan to have fliers and signs warning motorists on rest stops and toll plazas.  

MonmouthCounty accident lawyers have come across such behavior from motorists. While some get off to inspect a blown out tire or other car problem, others may be under the influence of alcohol when they get hit by a vehicle on the busy highway. In almost all cases, the collision between a pedestrian on the highway and a vehicle is either fatal, or leaves the pedestrian with very serious injuries.

Motorists may either not be aware of how dangerous getting out of your vehicle on a busy highway is, or may be under the influence of alcohol, and simply don’t' care. In some cases, the accident is the result of pure bad luck, while in others, drivers don’t realize the consequences of their actions until it’s too late. Like Barry Gilman, an East Brunswick resident who pulled his car over on the turnpike. The car it appears, was accidentally put in reverse, and drifted off onto the highway. In a panic, Gilman tried to follow his car to stop it. He never made it. He was hit by a tractor trailer, and died.

A big reason for this is may be that more people seem to be walking to work in New Jersey than in many other states in the country. According to US census statistics, 26% more New Jerseyans walked to work from 2002 to 2006 while in the rest of the country, the increase in the number of people walking to work had only risen by 7%. Rising gas prices and global warming concerns have lead to more numbers of people taking to walking as a means of getting around. It also doesn’t help that New Jersey has the highest population density among states in the US. The state has been spending more on increasing pedestrian safety, but the number of programs that need funding far outnumber the dollars available.

A witness at the scene of the accident was alert enough to note down the driver's license plate number. Police found the car, a Honda Civic a few minutes later outside the home of the driver, Frank Bradley. Just a few minutes before he mowed Walsh down, Bradley was being pursued by police after he ran a stop sign. There are no details about whether he was speeding at the time of the accident, but this much has been confirmed – Walsh was following all rules of pedestrian safety. He was not jaywalking, and he wasn’t distracted. Yet, he seems to have paid with his life for a motorist's callous negligence.

A man and a woman were killed in two separate pedestrian accidents in Freehold Township and Carteret last month. In Carteret, Kimberly McMickle was killed when she was crossing the street with her friend. In Freehold Township, Toribio Garcia Jiminez, was struck on Route 9. Both accidents continue to be investigated, but it's probably time to step back and see how we can reduce our chances of becoming one of New Jersey's pedestrian accident statistics. It seems that those road safety lessons that our parents taught us are still as valid now as they've always been. In other words: 

• Walk only on the sidewalk.
• Don’t blindly step out onto traffic without looking around first.
• Obey pedestrian traffic signs diligently.
• Cross on a designated, clearly marked crosswalk.
• That old "look left, then right, then left again" rule? It still makes as much sense today as it did when you were a kid.
• Pay attention to vehicles around you.
• Avoid walking with your back to traffic
• Don’t be distracted. If you have to use the cell phone, stop for a while at a safe spot, finish your conversation, and then move on. 
• Drinking and walking is just as dangerous as drinking and driving.
• Wear sensible clothing and comfortable footwear. Don’t wear dark colors if you're walking at night. If possible, wear reflective clothing in the dark.

Motorists can do their bit to make sure that we see fewer needless pedestrian deaths on our streets. 

• Be aware of pedestrian movements. Look out for pedestrians at particular danger spots, like at a turning or an intersection where many accidents are likely to occur.
• Stay within speed limits.
• Don’t drink and drive.
• Switch off your cell phone. All the above three impair your driving skills, and make it harder for you to spot a pedestrian.

Sometimes, an accident can occur even when a pedestrian plays by the rules. In such cases, the accident can often be traced to the negligence of the motorist, or a design flaw in the road that makes it dangerous for pedestrians. In such cases, there may be more than one party who can be named in a civil liability lawsuit including the motorist, as well as any local agencies that may have been responsible for the road construction and design.   A Monmouth county pedestrian accident lawyer will conduct his own private investigation of the accident scene to ascertain responsibility for the accident. If you or a loved one have been injured in a pedestrian accident, contact a Monmouth County pedestrian accident lawyer at my office for a free evaluation of your claim. 

Pursuing Pedestrian Accident Claims in New Jersey

Recovering damages for medical expenses, lost wages, and pain and suffering in a pedestrian accident case in New Jersey involves proving that there was a clear negligence on the part of the motorist, and that this negligence resulted in injuries to the pedestrian. That's not always so simple and straightforward. Insurance companies have a vested interest in trying to limit the amount of damages by proving that the accident was the pedestrian's fault. If you've been injured in a pedestrian accident, talk to a New Jersey personal injury lawyer before you talk to anybody else, including the insurers, to ascertain your options for compensation.

She sustained severe injuries in the accident, and was rushed to St. Joseph's Wayne Hospital where she died as a result of her injuries. The Passaic County Prosecutor's Office is investigating the accident, and has asked anyone with any information on what happened at the scene of the crash, to come forward. Investigations will take a while to complete and we can only then expect a clear picture of what happened at the Hamburg Turnpike and Leonard Terrace intersection where Sullivan died. 

Pedestrian Accident Lawsuit

Pursuing damages in a pedestrian accident lawsuit will involve proving that the motorist in question was negligent in his driving duties, and that the injuries sustained were a result of the negligent driving. Even in cases where the pedestrian was partially at fault, he can still be eligible for damages if it can be proved that his injuries were magnified because of the negligence of the driver. If you have been injured in a pedestrian accident, it helps to know that you have nights that can be protected with the help of a Passaic County pedestrian accident lawyer. Consult an experienced pedestrian accident lawyer as quickly as possible.

Florence is expected to receive $115,000 to be spent on sidewalk construction, while Riverton will use its $23,000 grant to develop and implement a pedestrian safety program. Riverton's grant has come courtesy the Safe Routes to School program that aims to promote pedestrian safety by developing walkways and bikeways so children are encouraged to bike or walk to school in complete safety, as well as the conduction of pedestrian safety awareness programs for children and motorists. The focus on pedestrian safety in Burlington County is due to the 11 deaths that occurred in pedestrian accidents in 2007 last year which was a steep rise from the 6 pedestrian deaths that had occurred in the county in 2006.

In the event of an accident, it's important to contact a New Jersey pedestrian accident attorney as quickly as possible, so independent investigations into the cause of the accident can begin immediately. Your lawyer will have to find witnesses who can help prove your account of the accident, and there will have to be studies made of the accident area to check if the design promoted pedestrian safety, if there had been previous accidents in the area etc. If you have been injured or lost a loved one in a pedestrian accident, contact a New Jersey pedestrian accident lawyer at the Law offices of Scott Grossman for a free initial evaluation of your case.